Ricor’s Wooden Bike

Here’s one definitely for the enthusiasts, an encouraging reminder that there are those who seek to improve on the classic, traditional layout of the bicycle frame and its materials. Whether that’s actually possible or not depends on your perspective, but if it weren’t for those innovative few, we’d still be… well, walking.

Ricor sent in these images of a project frame that utilizes a new technology developed by Olympus. It’s basically a compressed wood material, claimed to be stronger than engineering plastics such as ABS and polycarbonate resins, that Olympus hope to incorporate into their camera housings to emulate the look and feel of wood. Ricor is a very talented film-only photographer based in Taipei, and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, a browse through Ricor’s website or flickr will prove that the wooden enterprise is a fitting addition to a true artist’s portfolio.